Easy Mistakes... Part 4

Too many players! It's tough to turn folks away. At least once at every con, we have a game that gets overbooked. And by overbooked, I mean we keep saying yes to anyone that shows up. We try to limit games to 6 players - that's our comfort zone when we have two GMs (one is the Kreator (me) and the other is Minion Master (Willy the 2 or Shanty Bob). We will reluctantly take the players total up to 9 depending on the scenario. If it's all battle, then it's easier. If it's plot driven, not so good. Believe me, I've been reamed out post-game by the Minion Masters if I go over the limit! It's always my fault for letting people play...

I'm convinced the perfect amount of players for WEGS 101 is 9 (significance due to Tolkien's Fellowship) - but I'd say that 7 is the perfect number, too (just because of craps). In either situation, I'm talking experienced players. And add 2 more players in the mix (for the Kreator and Minion Master). So, grand total is 9 or 11 players 'round the table. And it's this hubris that gets me into trouble...

I've come to learn at cons 3-5 new players are perfect for intro games. If some of the players have some WEGS under their belts, the number can be pushed to 6 or 7. When submitting games to cons, I'm now using 6 as my standard. The only downside of this is at cons where seats are reserved and the players who reserved seats don't show up. We've had sold out games, where only half the players appear... which leads us to allowing folks to be on standby... At the official start time of the game, if folks who reserved haven't appeared, we allow those on standby to jump into the game. Invariably, a few minutes later, the folks who registered appear... And then we're back to square one...

The best laid plans of mice and men...

Easy Mistakes... Part 3

The Cold Roll... Most folks get it. Other folks don't. Rolling 2D6 for a percentile base just isn't logical! The biggest mistake here is the failure to explain it pre-game. And by explain it, I mean demo it. Make folks do a few rolls until they're comfy with it. Then do it again! The problem here is that WEGS uses 2D6 for various rolls. Sometimes they are just counted as pips for a score between 2 and 12 (like Act Fast! tests), sometimes they are arranged for a percent total between 11% and 66% (the Cold Roll). For Blitz, they are used ala craps and compared to Warrior Strength or Ranger Strength (and you can use Spoints to up your odds). Way back when we started demo-ing WEGS, I was very careful to limit the game mechanices in play. For example, Act Fast! and Blitz were non-existant. I wanted folks to come to terms with the key mechanics and not overwhelm. As we played more and more, we started adding on the pieces that eventually became the core WEGS 101 mechanics. In turn, the con games became more robust and a tad complicated for new players. The key thing is to identify the players who look a little lost in their rolls and take a moment to walk them through the purpose. Some won't get it. Some will. You at least gotta try. A lot of the fun in this game is the language of the dice. If a player doesn't get the reason they're rolling, some of the fun is going to be lost in translation.

Easy Mistakes... Part 2

With the 2007 con season behind me, I find myself dwelling on what went right and what didn't over the course of the many games we ran. We're at a point where games have folks familiar with WEGS sitting alongside of folks who are playing for the first time. This isn't a problem as that's what WEGS 101 is all about: easy enough for newbies and crunchy enough for game veterans. WEGS is also about options on the gamemaster's side of the table. It is very easy to whip up new minions and introduce ad hoc rules. I don't think there's a game we run that doesn't have some tinkering going on at this point. From our standpoint, it keeps the game fresh for us. Kinda like game improv. And therein lies the danger... Folks who have played with us before know that this is what WEGS is about and they ride this wave without batting an eye. Not so for folks playing for the first time. To them additional rules that seem "errantly" introduced can make the game system seem thin. The plug/play nature of the game is its strength, but can easily be perceived as weakness.

The other side of this is that our con games, to this point, have been system introductions. These are the basic rules, nothing glossy. We've been doing this now for TWO YEARS - playing an intro game. It's great fun, but when you know what the system can do, you start to itch. Me and Willy the Two have pre-game pow-wows on the new stuff. And we can easily get carried away with cool ad-hoc rules. Easily. For example, AggDam and the Blood Chip are two things we've been adding to all games. Just 'cause they're fun for us and they make the minions tougher to beat. However, in their small way, they are complicating the vanilla. It's a tough balance to keep in mind: introducing the game, keeping it basic and keeping it fresh.

Easy Mistakes... Part 1

In the game discussed below, I noted that there was a slight drag in the game play. When WEGS is played with 7+ players, there's bound to be some bumps, especially with new players. The new player curve isn't always the issue though - folks tend to play the game as fast as they can and there's nothing wrong with savoring your turn at bat... However, there is one thing that I've been slipping on lately - the four dice rule.

WEGS is designed to be played fast. Part of the design is reflected in the fact the game uses only 2D10 and 2D6 for its fuel (that's two ten-sided dice and two six-sided dice for you non-gamers...). I have a strong belief that the fewer dice you have on the table, the faster the game moves. Many other games in this hobby cover the playing field with lots and lots of funny sided dice. There's a built in joy for gamers to collect dice, too. In this hobby, you never can have too many dice. So, very often, folks show up at the game table with dice bags bulging with funky polyhedra. It's almost a status thing... but that's not what WEGS is about. At all.

And that was the one major bump in the game flow the other night. There was one player who had various funky dice set out before him. Often he would select different dice every inning, changing colors and determining the one he would use for highs and the one he would use for lows. This wasn't a showstopper, but it did impact the game flow. Everytime we got to his turn, he had to decide which dice to use. While I can appreciate that thrill, it just ain't WEGS. I think it breaks down one of the ways you buy-in to the game.

I don't mind folks swapping dice for new ones half-way through the game - that's actually really fun. If the set you start out with keep letting you down, there's nothing wrong with digging some new ones out. I think the mental act of committing your actions to four simple dice has some adventurous beauty about it. You're putting your faith in these things - and they may burn you real bad. That's the joy of it all sometimes.

So, it was a small blunder, but an important one to remember. After a month of running game after game, I got sloppy.

2D6. 2D10.